Mehbooba placed under ‘house arrest’ ahead of Martyrs’ Day; PDP raises rights concerns

Iltija Mufti, daughter of Jammu and Kashmir People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti, said on Sunday, July 12, 2026, that she has been placed under house arrest ahead of Martyrs’ Day celebrations in Srinagar. Ms. Iltija shared on X: “On the eve of Martyrs’ Day, we were put under house arrest for reasons best known to the J&K Police.”

“Is this the normality they claim to have established in Kashmir? Have no doubt that the local government is also joining hands in Sidhra, using the police to demolish houses and detain dissidents when appropriate,” Ms. Iltija said.

July 13 is observed as Martyrs’ Day in Jammu and Kashmir, in memory of the 22 people killed by the Dogra army outside Srinagar Central Jail in 1931. LG management removed this day from the list of public holidays in 2020.

The PDP also expressed its “serious concern” over what it described as “the continuing atmosphere of fear and uncertainty in Jammu and Kashmir”.

A PDP spokesperson at the party’s core committee meeting said: “Members noted that the culture of constant raids, repeated searches and coercive measures had cast a shadow over normal civil life, creating a widespread sense of harassment and insecurity among ordinary citizens. The leadership observed that a democratic society cannot thrive where people continue to live under an atmosphere of constant anxiety.”

The spokesman said there was an in-depth discussion about the “enduring trauma faced by hundreds of families whose loved ones continue to languish in prison for long periods of time, and often trials are not concluded in a timely manner”.

“In many cases, new cases are registered even after the courts grant bail, resulting in continued incarceration. The committee said such practices deepen the alienation of the public and raise serious questions about the credibility of the institutions that it hopes will protect people’s constitutional and legal rights,” the spokesman said.

The committee also condemned restrictions on the celebration of Martyrs’ Day.